Pagnard



Filed Jan. 18, 1956 @EQQQQAQFO INVENTOR Georges Pa rd BY ATTORN EYUnited States Patent TIME RECORDING DEVICE Georges Pagnard, Moutier,Switzerland, assignor to Omega, Louis Brandt & Frere S. A., Bern,Switzerland Application January 18, 1956, Serial No. 560,028

Claims priority, application Switzerland February 23, 1955 Claims. (Cl.346-141) The present invention relates to a time-keeping apparatus andmore particularly to a time-recording device in which indications oflengths of timed intervals are printed.

The time recording device in accordance with the invention is of theknown type such as is disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No.257,250, filed November 20, 1951, which has matured to Patent No.2,757,063, issued July 31, 1956. This application shows a recordingdevice in which the length of the timed interval is recorded on a chartwhich is advanced on each recording operation, the imprint on the chartbeing made by a quick-acting striker operative on the inertia principle,the imprint being made so quickly that no appreciable blurring occurs atan accuracy of one thousandth of a second.

The striker disclosed in the above-mentioned application is formed of amass of metal attached to an armature by means of springs. The strikeris arranged above the timing means which include drums of a counter, aninking ribbon being inserted between the striker and a paper stripadapted to record the timed intervals. When a current impulse energizesthe coils controlling the armature, the latter is suddenly attracted anddrags along the striker. When the armature is stopped against its coils,the spring-supported striker, by its inertia, in a snapping actionimpacts the ribbon against the counter drums to imprint the timedinterval upon the paper strip. The armature is then brought back intoits rest position under the action of a restoring spring.

The impression thus obtained on the paper strip is not always whollysatisfactory. In some cases the figures are almost illegible owing tothe fact that the counter drums are not perfectly aligned.

The present invention aims to overcome this difliculty. In the timerecording device in accordance with the invention, the striker is madewith a plurality of hammers controlled by a common member, each hammercorresponding to one of the counter drums, means being provided forindividually adjusting the striking force of each hammer.

The accompanying drawing shows schematically, way of example, anembodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of the recording de vice of aconstruction in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation view taken from the left of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation cross-sectional view of the striker mechanism.

There is shown in the drawing only sutficient structure for anunderstanding of the invention, other details may be seen in myco-pending patent application Serial No. 257,250, the present inventiondisclosing in part, an improvement over the structure described andillustrated in said co-pending application.

Referring to the drawing, the time recording device 7 includes amechanical counter having drums 1 carrying relief numerals. The drums 1may be driven by a synchronous motor which in turn may be fed by aquartz clock (not shown). Above the drums 1 is guided a paper strip 2adapted to receive the impression of the relief numerals carried by thedrums 1. Above the paper strip 2 is arranged an inking ribbon 3 or acarbon-paper strip which is fed from a supply roller 4.

The impression on the paper strip 2 is produced by means of a strikermechanism including four coils 5, a common armature 6 which is attractedby a current impulse arriving in the recording device at the preciseinstant of a time to be recorded. The armature 6 is formed of twosuperposed plates 6a and 6b assembled by means of screws 7. The lowerplate 6b, which is adapted to come into contact with cores 8 of thecoils 5, is broken off in the region of the drums 1. The armature 6 isrigidly fixed to a rotary shaft 9 pivoted in frame 10 of the recordingdevice by means of ball bearings 11. The armature 6 has an extensionproviding two lugs 12 each of which has attached one end of a restoringspring 13, the other end of which is attached to the frame 10.

The striker mechanism includes a plurality of hammers 14 eachcorresponding to one of the counter drums 1. The hammers 14 are freelymounted on a shaft 15 supported by two bosses 16 carried by the armature6.

Each hammer 14 has in its central portion a tapped hole 17 into which isscrewed a headless screw 18. A pin 19 extending upwardly from thearmature 6 serves for guiding a small coil spring 20 bearing at one endagainst the armature 6 and hearing at its other end against the innerface of the screw 18. The pin 19 is made with a length such that, in therest position of the hammers 14, i. e. when no current passes throughthe coils 5, the pin 19 is only partially engaged in the hole 17, and apredetermined clearance remains between the free end of the pin 19 andthe screw 18.

Each hammer 14 has at its free end a fork-shaped portion 21 between theprongs of which is fixed, by means of rivets 22, a mass 23 having a highspecific weight, for instance, made of a tungsten alloy.

When a current impulse arrives in the coils 5, the armature 6 issuddenly attracted and drags along in its movement the shaft 15 and thehammers 14. When the armature 6 stops against the cores 8 of the coils5, the hammers 14, by their inertia, continue their travel and compressthe springs 20 and print the relief of the counter drums 1 onto thepaper strip 2. The hammers 14 are snapped back under the action of thesprings 20. Simultaneously, under the action of the restoring springs13, the armature 6 is brought back into its rest position, its movementbeing limited by a stop screw 24 carried by the frame 10.

By turning the screws 18 of the several hammers 14, it is possible toadjust exactly the striking force of each hammer so as to compensate fora possible inaccurate alignment of the counter drums 1. It is thuspossible to obtain an absolutely uniform impression of the severalfigures on the paper strip 2.

The striking operation is extremely rapid, so that the slight brakingproduced by the hamers 14 on the counter drums 1 does not elfect themeasurements by an error greater than the required precision. The deviceas shown and described permits recording timed intervals with aprecision of one one-hundredth of a second.

While I have described and illustrated one embodiment of my invention, Ido not wish to unnecessarily limit the scope thereof, but reserve theright to make such modifications and rearrangements of the several partsas may come within the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a time recording device of the type comprising purview of theaccompanying a plurality of timing means, starting means for the timingmeans, recording means, striker means to impact the recording meansagainst the timing means in marking relationship, spring means carryingthe striker and normally maintaining the striker in non-markingposition, striker operating means to set the striker in motion, thestriker, by its inertia, adapted to impact the recording means againstthe timing means in marking contact, and adjustment means for thestarting of the timing means correcting for the inherent striker lag,the improvement wherein the striker includes a plurality of hammers, acommon member for the control of the plurality of hammers, each hammercorresponding to one of the timing means, and means for individuallyadjusting the striking force of each hammer.

2. A time recording device according to claim 1, in which the commonmember controlling the hammers is an armature cooperating with at leastone electromagnet.

3. A time recording device according to claimv 2, in

which a shaft is included carried by the armature and the hammers arefreely mouned on the shaft.

4. A time recording device according to claim 2, in which each hammerhas a tapped hole receiving an adjusting screw, and a pin fixed to thesaid armature serves for guiding a coil spring bearing against thearmature and the screw.

5. A time recording device according to claim 1, in which each hammerhas at its free end a fork-shaped portion and a mass having a highspecific weight is positioned between the prongs of the fork-shapedportion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,229,696 Engst Jan. 28, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 605,321 Great Britain July21, 1948

